And while it may not be pleasant to think about, when the worst happens, fingerprints can help law enforcement professionals in the fight against crime. By collecting and using these small but mighty identifiers, law enforcement professionals can zero in on the individuals who were involved.

The History of Fingerprinting – How it All Started

Fingerprints have become so ubiquitous in our modern day culture that it can be hard to trace back how the science of fingerprinting started.

Until now.

Helped along by several scientists and government agencies, the study of fingerprints and the development of their use in solving crime united individuals around the world, over the course of several centuries.

This infographic unravels the winding history of fingerprinting, bringing you along the journey as their use developed.

How Fingerprints are Used Today

3M Biometric Solutions

From fingerprint scanners to automated biometric identification systems, 3M’s biometrics hardware and software solutions combine accuracy and speed with ease of use – to give law enforcement professionals reliable information, without the wait. Our technologies are fully scalable, customizable and can be designed either as standalone units or fully integrated into existing systems helping to make the identification process faster with confidence.